


Crawl Home to Her

by FrazzledDragon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrienette hints, F/M, Nino POV, Nino is the bomb diggity, a bit of a character study, adrien has a panic attack of sorts, drabble?, i really don't know how to best tag this, more serious/realistic than canon i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 07:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19127215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrazzledDragon/pseuds/FrazzledDragon
Summary: After a weekend date with Kagami, Adrien was left feeling... uncertain.Fortunately, Nino was an excellent listener.(title inspired by work song by hozier :P)





	Crawl Home to Her

Nino was a really great listener. It was what made him a great musician and an even better friend. It’s what really made him and Alya a power couple. Alya was a talker, and needed someone who could listen with just as much energy. Nino wasn’t so good at talking, but was good at really hearing people. Not just the words they said, but the intentions underneath, the emotions and feelings and thoughts that went into every syllable. It made him a good songwriter and d.j., good at feeling the mood in any room. He was always listening, always hearing.

It’s what told him that something was changing within Adrien.

It was a normal Monday, not unlike the Monday before or the Monday that would follow it. There was fifteen minutes until class would begin, and just like Monday, and every weekday before it, Adrien walked in exactly fifteen minutes prior to class. His bright eyes scanned the room carefully and lit up on Nino.

Nino watched him approach. He could tell from the way Adrien watched him too that Adrien was thinking something through. He could tell from the way Adrien’s left arm trembled that it was something that deeply concerned him.

“Hey, Nino,” Adrien greeted, like every time before it. It was tradition. They hardly even realized they said it anymore.

“Sup, man?” Nino asked, watching closer as Adrien took in a shallow breath.

“Nothing much,” Adrien smiled that model smile, the fake one that was so convincing there were days where Nino hesitated in identifying it. He always figured it out in the end though. “How was your weekend?”

Nino almost nodded. So that’s when whatever he wanted to talk about happened. Adrien was very subtle, but Nino was good at reading him. “Unexciting. How was yours, dude?” He tried to pretend he didn’t know something was wrong, but he suspected he was failing as Adrien winced, ever so slightly that Nino wasn’t sure anyone else would have caught it.

“I went to the Terror Fair with Kagami.”

Nino frowned. “Bro, you  _ hate _ scary stuff. You almost didn’t  _ survive _ the old version of  _ Poltergeist _ when we watched it together.”

Adrien blushed and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Why did you go with her if you knew you wouldn’t like it?”

“She insisted...” Adrien’s eyes were downcast and filled with shame. He was sure he knew how it would look, how Nino would perceive it.

Nino frowned further. “Did she ask you if you wanted to go?”

“Not exactly.”

That meant no, Nino knew. “She insists a lot, dude.”

“I know.”

“Has she ever asked you if you’re comfortable with what you’re doing together?” Alya, not as good of a listener, was forever asking him if he was comfortable with whatever date she had planned out. Nino had grown to realize this was one of the strongest pillars of their relationship; a mutual, unending respect for the other’s comfort levels. Though Nino didn’t ask as often, he was just as good at finding out all the same.

“Not really. I think she knows I’m just really shy.”

Nino raised an eyebrow. “What happened at the fair?” He didn’t really need to ask, as just from how Adrien was talking he could guess, but it was less accusing than any of the alternative questions he had lined up.

Adrien bit his lip and finally met Nino’s eyes vulnerably. “You’re gonna laugh.”

Nino smiled softly. “I won’t, man. I promise.”

“I think… I think I had like… a panic attack? Kagami wanted to do the Haunted Forest… One of the monsters or whatever wrapped an arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear and...” Adrien shook his head at the memory, paling a little. “So I was already really… unsettled… and then Kagami wanted me to do the Maze and I...”

Nino couldn’t imagine laughing, even if Adrien hadn’t made him promise. “Dude, that’s not funny at all. That sounds terrible.” This was manipulation and genuine unhappiness. “Did you tell her you didn’t want to?”

Adrien hesitated, but did nod. “A couple times… before both.”

“And she ignored you?”

“She insisted it was going to be fun.”

“Insisted, huh?”

Adrien didn’t say a word, but Nino knew his message was getting home.

“There’s a difference, man,” he said softly, “a difference between manipulation and good will. She’s strong-willed and direct and confident and she's not a bad person, but she doesn’t get told no a lot. She is a powerful, intimidating girl. She doesn’t hesitate in assuming whatever works for her works for you as well. You cannot let her confidence override your comfort.”

Adrien remained silent.

“You told me she made fun of you for bringing Marinette and Luka to the ice rink with you guys. Did you ever wonder why you didn’t feel safe enough to just take Kagami?”

Adrien started at that. “I was just to shy-”

“Shy or scared?”

“I don’t think-”

“Shy or scared?” His voice was uncompromising. 

“I’m just shy!”

Nino didn’t buy it for a second. Adrien was one of the most confident, brave people he knew. “You shouldn’t be  _ afraid _ of your date, Adrien. Not like that. A lot of things about Alya scare me, but never once have I been afraid to be alone with her. Not even when we first met. It was awkward and uncomfortable and scary because of the akuma, but never was I scared of her. You can be  _ nervous  _ around her and definitely  _ shy _ . But never truly scared of her or what she'll do if you're alone with her.” His words echoed in the long moment of quiet that followed them.

“If… If she scares me,” Adrien said eventually, the fact he was considering the option at all telling, “what do I do?”

“You have a couple choices. You sit her down and talk it out with her. Explain what’s making you uncomfortable and explain what you believe can be done to fix it so you can continue seeing each other. Or, you sit her down and explain that you two need to be done seeing each other. You can still be friends, or you can break that off too. Then you can find a new girl to ask out, one that doesn’t scare you and listens to your needs.”

Adrien took a deep breath. “What do _you_ think I should do?”

Nino glanced at the clock. Five minutes till class. The girls would be approaching them any minute. “I think it’s your decision, no matter what I think and I’ll support you as best I can no matter what you do, man. But I also think there are girls who would be better matched with a guy like you. I don’t think you and Kagami, romantically, are a good fit.”

Adrien scanned Nino’s face with a keen gaze. “You have someone in mind.”

It wasn’t a question. Nino smiled.

“Who?”

Nino’s smile turned to a grin. “I promised I wouldn't say a word. And I don’t break promises. You’ll figure it out.” Adrien groaned, shoving Nino half-heartedly, but not figuratively pushing him any further.

“Besides,” Nino said softly, “you’ve still got to break it off with Kagami first.”

Adrien groaned even louder.

“Hey, Nino!” Alya said as she approached, and Nino grinned, not at the sight and sound of his girlfriend, but of the iron grip she had on Marinette’s arm. Nino pecked her on the forehead, after kissing both cheeks in greeting. “Adrien,” she greeted in turn with a little wave. “How were your weekends?”

Nino said some vague response, watching Adrien with intrigue. He had started a more private conversation with Marinette, the latter of whom was  _ very _ embarrassed. The way his eyes beheld her, the way his hand gently squeezed hers, the way he smiled when her eyes lit up… Nino knew it wouldn’t be long until there was no longer a secret to keep.


End file.
